Golf: Udayan Mane ends title drought with dominant seven-shot win in IGPL South Africa

Johannesburg, April 18 (IANS) Top professional Udayan Mane produced a commanding performance to clinch the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Invitational South Africa title, cruising to a seven-shot victory over Gaganjeet Bhullar at the famed Royal Johannesburg West on Saturday. 

Holding at least a share of the lead from the opening day, Mane briefly faltered with two early bogeys in his final round, his first blemishes of the week, but quickly regained control. The Olympian responded in style, carding seven birdies over the remaining holes to sign off with a 67 and seal a resounding triumph.

The win, which follows a third-place finish in Mauritius the previous week, signals a strong return to form for Mane. His rounds of 65, 64, and 67 saw him finish at an impressive 20-under, the best aggregate recorded this season so far.

Bhullar, a four-time IGPL winner, finished a distant second at 13-under after rounds of 67, 68, and 68, while Manav Shah secured third place at 12-under. Despite a steady performance that included just one bogey across three rounds, Bhullar was left ruing missed opportunities on the greens.

Mane’s victory margin is also the biggest of the season, making him the third different winner this year after Bhullar’s triumph in Chandigarh and Sachin Baisoya’s win in Mauritius. It also ends a long wait for the former Order of Merit winner, whose last title came in 2021, taking his professional tally to 12.

Starting the final day with a six-shot cushion, Mane recovered from early setbacks with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, followed by another on the ninth to steady his round. He maintained his dominance on the back nine, adding four more birdies to complete a memorable week.

Among other notable performances, Shaurya Binu returned the best round of the tournament with a stunning 63 on the final day, while veteran Shiv Kapur impressed with a 64. Both players climbed significantly up the leaderboard to finish tied fourth.

South Africa’s Musiwalo Nethunzwi emerged as the top local finisher in sixth place at nine-under, while Karandeep Kochhar slipped to seventh after a late stumble. Youngsters Raghav Chugh and Harshjeet Singh Sethie shared eighth place, with Alessio Graziani completing the top 10.

In the season standings, Bhullar continues to lead the individual rankings, followed by Baisoya, with Mane’s victory lifting him to third.

The team standings also saw a shake-up, as Atri Mumbai surged to the top, powered by Mane’s stellar showing. Although Green Fuels Vizag claimed top honours for the week, they slipped to second overall, while Honer Homes Gurugram made significant gains thanks to Binu’s standout performance.

The IGPL caravan now moves to Congo for the next leg of the series.

--IANS

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